New York – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent escalation of violence affecting children in several conflicts around the world.

“Children have been directly targeted by belligerents. They were also collateral victims of despicable acts of war,” said Ms. Gamba. “We cannot remain silent in the face of such atrocities and I want to address parties to conflict directly to share a simple message: enough is enough.”

In the past two weeks, too many young innocent lives have been taken away. Children have been injured and killed while in class in Afghanistan. They have died in a bus in Yemen. They have continued to endure the deadly assaults of the Syrian conflict. Those surviving are left with profound trauma and little hope for a better future.

The Special Representative urges all parties to the conflicts to protect children from the scourge of war and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. She also calls for accountability for those responsible for these acts.

“Children should never be targeted by violence. With the adoption last month of resolution 2427, the UN Security Council has once again strengthened the tools at our disposal to protect children in conflict and prevent violations against them. It is our collective responsibility to use these tools to their full extent and to obtain results for those boys and girls who desperately need protection,” concluded Virginia Gamba

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For additional information, please contact:

Stephanie Tremblay

Communications Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict,

+ 1 212 963-8285, tremblay@un.org